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How to Make Grilled Shrimp Skewers

There’s just something about grilled shrimp skewers - it instantly adds sophistication to any BBQ party or meal. Just imagine the mouth-watering, red-orange splash of color coming from grilled skewered jumbo shrimp. Yum!

These can be served by themselves, along with other seafood favorites, or as part of a surf and turf meal. One of the problems you might face is that there may never be enough for everyone - especially if you follow along with the grilled shrimp recipes that we’re going to talk about in this blog. Get ready to be the proud chef behind these simple dishes that effortlessly steal the show, leaving everybody wanting more.

In this article, we’ll take you through the steps on how to purchase, prepare, and grill these irresistible fruits of the sea. Keep reading and we’ll talk about four, that’s right, FOUR grilled shrimp recipes that are sure to be crowd favorites.

 

ThaiPeanutShirmpGrill

 

Buying the Best Shrimp for Grilling

Let’s first go through the basics. The most important thing is you need to make sure you are buying from a reputable source. Unknown to most, shrimp can actually be used to measure the level of water pollution since pollutants can accumulate easily in the animal. So for health reasons, the source of the shrimp is the first vital consideration.

When buying, it is definitely preferable to look for fresh, unfrozen, raw, and unpeeled shrimp. Then again, there’s also the option of purchasing peeled and deveined shrimp. This latter option may be best if you are pressed for time. There may not be much significant health benefits from deveining shrimp but it does help with aesthetics - especially in larger varieties of shrimp where the vein tends to be more prominent.

This leads us to our next point: the size of the shrimp. Arguably, larger shrimp varieties (jumbo or colossal) do better on the grill. They are less likely to get overcooked and are more aesthetically pleasing. Whichever size you choose though it is best practice to skewer shrimp when cooking them on the grill no matter how big they are. It’s not just to keep the shrimp from falling through the grill, it’s to make it easier for you to turn them over on the grill when needed. This is important because shrimp can easily get overcooked. Besides, who wants to struggle using the tongs and possibly damaging the soft shrimp meat?

 

Grilled Shrimp Recipes: Four Delectable Marinades

In this section we will showcase four exciting grilled shrimp recipes that will make your BBQ the talk of the town. With these recipes, you won’t even need sauce for your shrimp anymore.

Before diving into these recipes remember these tips to make shrimp the easiest part of your next barbecue:

  • Shrimp - like most seafood - should only be marinated for 30 minutes

  • Remember to peel shrimp before marinating to ensure intense flavor

  • If your skewers are thin, consider using 2 to keep your shrimp from flopping around

  • Marinade recipes in this article are for 1 lb. of shrimp

 

Grilled Classic Shrimp Skewers

Let’s start with something classic. This all-time favorite is sure to wow your guests while not overpowering the delicious natural flavor of the shrimp. It’s fresh and subtle, making it a recipe you can repeat time and time again.

This marinade includes:

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

  • 2 tablespoons chopped basil

  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

  • 2 tablespoons tomato sauce

  • 3 cloves garlic - minced

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

 

Grilled Garlic & Herb Shrimp Skewers

Garlic and shrimp go so well together that most shrimp marinades contain garlic. But in this particular marinade, we are taking the garlic levels up a notch. There’s no turning back; once your guests or family have tasted this, they will keep coming back for more.

This marinade includes:

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

  • 3 tablespoons chopped parsley

  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

  • 2 tablespoon garlic - crushed

  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder (optional, for even more garlic magic)

  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

 

Grilled Spicy Shrimp Skewers

In the mood for something hot? Here is a classic marinade for spicy grilled shrimp that’s sure to turn up the heat. Prefer things milder or want it spicier? Feel free to add or reduce the hot sauce in this recipe to your taste.

This marinade includes:

  • 3 tablespoons of olive oil

  • 3 tablespoons of lemon juice

  • 2 tablespoons of sesame oil

  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

  • 2 tablespoons of hot sauce

  • 2 tablespoons of garlic - minced

  • 1 tablespoon of tomato ketchup

  • 1 teaspoon of black pepper and salt

 

Grilled Margarita Shrimp

Here is a marinade that’s sure to impress your guests. This zesty recipe with a fun dash of alcohol will make them feel like they’ve just ordered a dish from a five-star restaurant.

This marinade includes:

  • 3 tablespoons of olive oil

  • 3 tablespoons of chopped cilantro

  • 2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice

  • 2 tablespoons of tequila

  • 2 cloves of garlic - minced

  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper and salt

 

ThaiPeanutShirmpServe

Thai Peanut Grilled Shrimp

 

A Step-by-Step Guide on How to BBQ Grill Shrimp

And now for the meat of the subject. Whether you’re using a Napoleon Rogue® SE Series, Prestige® Series, or any other Napoleon Grill, you can be sure that your grilled shrimp will be delicious and the process is hassle-free.

Check out these steps that’ll show you how to BBQ your shrimp skewers. Remember to have your timer on hand and make sure to not get distracted - as you may already know, shrimp can get overcooked quickly.

  1. First, peel and marinate your shrimp for 30 minutes. Thread the shrimp onto skewers. Remember to soak bamboo skewers first and use two skewers to prevent the shrimp from sliding around.

  2. Marinated shrimp will not need a light coating of oil, however, if you did not marinate the shrimp, a light brush of oil will help prevent them from sticking to the barbecue.

  3. Preheat your gas grill, like the Rogue® SE 625 RSIB, to around 350-450°F for about 10 minutes.

  4. Place the shrimp on the grill, over direct medium-high heat for a total of 5 to 7 minutes. You would need to turn the shrimp halfway through which is at 2.5 - 3.5 minutes. Once the shrimp start cooking, make sure to not get distracted because that shrimp get overcooked really easily. And that’s it!

 

How do you BBQ the perfect shrimp skewers? Do you have your own awesome tips on how to grill shrimp? We’d love to hear from you. Follow Napoleon on Instagram or Facebook and share your favorite shrimp grilling recipes!

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